triumphant
Americanadjective
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having achieved victory or success; victorious; successful.
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exulting over victory; rejoicing over success; exultant.
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Archaic. triumphal.
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Obsolete. splendid; magnificent.
adjective
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experiencing or displaying triumph
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exultant through triumph
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obsolete
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magnificent
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triumphal
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Usage
What does triumphant mean? Triumphant means experiencing, celebrating, or having achieved a triumph—an especially significant or noteworthy victory or success. Triumph is also commonly used as a verb meaning to win, succeed, or be victorious in an epic or spectacular way. Sometimes, it means to conquer. In this case, it’s often used with the word over, and triumphant is used in the same way. An army can be triumphant over enemy forces. In stories, good is triumphant over evil. A person might be said to be triumphant over cancer. Triumphant is especially used in situations in which victory or success has come after great difficulty, adversity, or sacrifice, or over an opponent considered difficult to defeat. Triumphant can describe a person who is or has been victorious, as in They returned to their hometown triumphant, entering to the cheers of the adoring crowd. Sometimes, triumphant describes the state of joy or celebration following a victory or success that is considered a triumph, as in A triumphant feeling filled her as she realized she had won the election. Triumphant can describe something considered a great achievement, as in Her latest novel is triumphant—a masterpiece in every way. The similar adjective triumphal means involving, relating to, or celebrating a triumph. Example: We will not rest until we are triumphant—when we finally victorious over the forces of evil.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of triumphant
First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin triumphant-, stem of triumphāns, present participle of triumphāre “to triumph”; see triumph, -ant
Explanation
If you're triumphant, you're proud of a huge success, like your triumphant victory at your ping-pong tournament. Winning an honor or a competition means that you're triumphant. The joy you feel about your win is described as triumphant. You might flash a triumphant smile at the audience during the curtain call after your excellent performance in the school play. Triumphant comes from the Latin word triumphus, which means triumph, but also describes a procession for a victorious general or admiral.
Vocabulary lists containing triumphant
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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Purple Hibiscus
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a 1992 interview promoting her latest book, A New Day: A Triumphant Story of Forgiveness, Healing, and Recovery, she said, “People hated me because I spoke the truth.”
From Slate • Jan. 11, 2025
Triumphant music plays as cancer patients go camping, do some gardening, and watch fireworks in ads for Opdivo+Yervoy, a combination of immunotherapies to treat metastatic melanoma and lung cancer.
From Salon • Sep. 12, 2024
Barbara Isenberg is a former Times staff writer and the author of “Tradition! The Highly Improbable, Ultimately Triumphant Broadway-to-Hollywood Story of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ the World’s Most Beloved Musical.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2023
Each volume took years to complete — “The Triumphant Years” came out in 2007.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2021
“When we let our light shine before men, we are reflecting Christ s Triumphant Entry,” he said that Palm Sunday.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
